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People From Space
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People From Space
The GENRE Interview
- Writer And Director Marc Berlin Discusses "People From Space" And
Other Things...
By Mark A. Rivera
What was your background before making "People From Space"?
After college I went to film school at Columbia in New York City for a year. I learned zero, so I went out to L.A. and became a script analyst. I read a lot of junk, so I started writing my own junk, with little success. I finally realized the only way to get into filmmaking without being very wealthy or well-connected was to make a video. So, I got myself hired to make a few extremely low-budget “disaster” documentaries for a video distributor, and then finally “People” after I’d managed to save a little money.
Were you inspired at all by films like "Waiting For Guffman" and "Best In Show," which used ad-libbing instead of a strict screenplay?
I was very impressed by “Spinal Tap” and “The Rutles.” They’re the funniest two films ever made. I haven’t seen Christopher Guest’s more recent films like “Guffman.” I also like Woody Allen and European films. I’ve never found Hollywood films to be particularly interesting. It’s important to understand that Hollywood films is “corporate” filmmaking, meaning they’re made by large international media conglomerates whose relatively gigantic budgets have to be approved by hundreds of lawyers and accountants and which generally feature the same Hollywood stars we’ve seen hundreds of times already. The result, in most cases, is a predictable incoherent mess that appeals only to a huge mass market.
Why the whole sex toy imagery? I mean I can understand some of the jokes, but the dildo tree seemed gratuitous and too lowbrow for your film in my opinion?
The ideas in “People From Space” were sketched out over a few days with little second- or third guessing. It’s a “stream of consciousness” film in the absolute truest sense—like a dream. I don’t know why I chose to put the “dildo tree” in the movie. I think it’s something one might encounter in a dream.
Where
did you take the film once it was ready to be screened?
Once the film was done I sent it off to the usual suspects, meaning some of the major film festivals, and some of the minor ones. It premiered in New York in a real movie theater as part of the International Film and Video Fest, then went on to Deep Ellum, Moxie!, Barcelona, and three others.
Do you see the future of film going completely digital or do you think celluloid will survive?
It appears that filmmaking is entering the digital age very quickly. You can make an entirely acceptable feature film on video—the bottom line is: what is the idea? If it’s a good idea, well executed, whether it’s shot on film or video is immaterial to me. The problem is that distributors still have an ingrained, almost genetic aversion to anything shot on video; also the movie theaters will take another decade to transfer over to video from film.
What
other projects have you been involved with or are working on?
I’ve just finished another feature, “Bedford Springs,” which was shot on super-16 and which we’re now negotiating with a sales agent to represent. After that I have an idea for a mockumentary, which will be shot digitally. I also have a couple of action scripts my agent is trying to sell.
Are you a fan of genre films or see yourself as a genre filmmaker?
I think it would be boring to make films all in the same genre. Writers or filmmakers who stick to one genre usually do so for obvious commercial reasons. My attitude is, filmmaking is so hard and difficult that you should only make films about subjects that you’re currently obsessed about, whatever the genre.
Do you think that after who knows how many decades, there has been enough films that essentially warn us, stay out of the woods?
As long as you can make the “woods” interesting, then it doesn’t matter how many stories take place there. If you can make a Laundromat interesting, shoot it in a Laundromat. Again, it all depends on the idea.
Do
you believe in Aliens?
I think the whole UFO-alien idea is utter rubbish, i.e. perfect for spoofing. That’s not to say, however, that somewhere in the universe there aren’t other intelligent cultures. I just don’t believe they’ve visited Earth yet. Coincidentally, I just started reading a book I stumbled across at the library called, “Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.”
Have you met other filmmakers with films like your own or maybe that inspired you and what have they said about "People From Space?"
I haven’t met many other filmmakers since graduate school, mainly because I now live in a small town far away from New York and L.A. That may change soon, and I hope it does. Again, my inspiration comes from watching good movies of all kinds, and also reading, most recently philosophy. The best book I’ve ever read was “The Pessimist’s Handbook” by Arthur Schopenhauer. It summarizes the human condition very neatly, with humor. I think I have one of the few copies of it. It inspired me to make “Bedford Springs.”
What advice do you have for any aspiring filmmakers who might read this short interview?
My advice to aspiring filmmakers is--read, write, and when you have an absolute burning desire to tell a story, or document something, get a video camera and put it down on tape. Then, spend a lot of time editing it. (Writing scripts helps you develop the craft of story structure.) Hopefully, you’ll end up with something of lasting value. Just give me ten per cent!
© Copyright 2003 By Mark A.
Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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People From Space